English
hobble
Hobble comes from Middle English hobblen, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hobblen
- Englishearliest quotation 1681hobble
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hobblen
- Englishearliest quotation 1681hobble
Earliest quotation: 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or: “The friar was hobbling the same way too.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-
hip, incumbent, cove, succumb, cubicle, concubine, succubus, incubus, incubate, cubit, shoop, 13 more
Today it means
noun One of the short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses, allowing them to wander short distances but preventing them from running off.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- / hobble